


Quack

by themagnificentquack



Series: stuffed animals are for everyone and i live by that [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Green Arrow and the Canaries (TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Coping Mechanisms, F/F, Stimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28030671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagnificentquack/pseuds/themagnificentquack
Summary: i done did it. here's them buying stuffed animals
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance
Series: stuffed animals are for everyone and i live by that [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2053194
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Quack

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends. i figured i should explain what stimming is or else ur abt to b real confused. so it's a coping mechanism for over stimulation and it blocks out the stressful shit and gives u something to focus on so that u don't get overwhelmed and in the case of this story laurel uses it for anxiety but ppl with autism do it as well although they do it a lot more bc their form of overstimulation is more intense. so yeah. sick.

Laurel huffed in frustration as she scrolled through amazon. She tried to turn up the music blasting through her earbuds to drown out her annoyance, but it only made her head hurt.

Somehow having sensed her foul mood, Dinah made her way over and plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

Her presence alone gave Laurel a little bit of relief as she dug her way into Laurel's heart and shone light on all the dark parts.

Laurel sighed, her frustration having turned to disappointment. "My therapist thinks a need an outlet for my anxiety so I'm looking at some stim toys but I don't think any of this is going to help," she said, helpless frustration leaking out of her voice.

Dinah hummed and shifted closer to look at the screen. "Well did you have any unintentional stims when you were younger?" she asked. "That might tell you what could help."

Laurel rested her head on Dinah's shoulder as she thought about it. "I think I used to rub my stuffed animal's fur. But I lost her when Sara and I went into foster care after our dad died," she explained.

"So get a stuffed animal," Dinah replied.

Laurel looked at her incredulously. "Dinah I'm 33 years old, I'm not going to start carrying around a stuffed animal."

"Why not," Dinah replied. 'I think it's totally badass. Fuck what other people think. If anyone looks at you weird punch 'em in the face."

A thoughtful expression formed on Laurel's face. "I do like the sound of that," she admitted.

Dinah grinned. "C'mon. There's a little place a few blocks away. You can avoid giving more money to Jeff Bezos."

Laurel paled. "The internet was invented for a reason, D. I don't want to be seen buying a fucking stuffed animal."

"I'll get one too," Dinah said, putting the computer aside and pulling Laurel to her feet. "Punch them in the face, remember?"

"I suppose I don't often get permission to fight people," Laurel said as she begrudgingly allowed herself to be dragged out the door.

She was fine the whole way there, but once the got to the toy store all of her anxiety returned. She couldn't handle people looking at her with derision or even worse, pity. If the world didn't fear her, how would she protect herself?

She tried to just walk part but Dinah paused at the door and sad, "Laur? The toy store's back here, you missed it."

Laurel walked back to her restlessly and paced back and forth as she said, "Let's go home. I'll just get one of those fidget toys or something."

Dinah took Laurel's hands in her own and asked, "What's wrong?"

Laurel sighed. "No one's going to be afraid of someone who has a stuffed animal," she said.

Dinah rubbed her thumb over Laurel's palm reassuringly. "Why do you need people to be afraid of you?" she asked.

Huh. Laurel paused and thought about it for a moment. "I guess it was important when I was Black Siren," she admitted.

"But that's not you anymore, right?" Dinah asked, already knowing the answer.

"I suppose not," Laurel murmured. How Dinah always managed to completely obliterate her anxieties, Laurel had no idea.

They walked in hand in hand and Dinah asked with a hint of humor in her voice, "Do you think they have canaries?"

Laurel squeezed her hand. "A little too on the nose, don't you think?"

Dinah hummed, not convinced.

Laurel trailed her hand along the stuffed animals as they passed, searching for one that felt right.

Dinah drifted away in search of a canary, and when she came back to show Laurel a super soft dog plushie she'd found, Laurel had a yellow duck clutched to her chest.

Dinah smiled. "This is Amy," she said, presenting the stuffed dog to Laurel.

Laurel pressed a kiss to the top of the duck's head. "This is Quack," she replied. "He is my son."

Dinah's smile grew even wider. "Can I buy Quack for you?" she asked. She wanted to be responsible for something that made Laurel happy.

"Only if I can buy Amy for you," Laurel replied.

Dinah leaned in to kiss Laurel's cheek and they walked up to register hand in hand.

The cashier smiled at them as they checked out and didn't seem afraid in the least. Laurel found that she didn't really mind.

Dinah put her arm around Laurel's shoulders, and Laurel put her arm around Dinah's waist in response. She looked over at Dinah and their eyes met. It occurred to her that maybe this was what being in love felt like.

**Author's Note:**

> by the way Amy the dog is named after Amy from the indigo girls because dinah is an indigo girls gay, i've decided it. don't try to convince me otherwise.


End file.
